We see from the title that Psalm 82 is another Psalm of
Asaph. This Psalm is an example of
another device often seen in Hebrew poetry.
Rather than the rhyming thought, it uses the occasional opposite thought
introduced occasionally throughout the text.
See if you can spot the occurrences as we study.
The Psalm boldly declares, from the very first verse, that
the leaders of any society are subject to God’s judgment. Closely examine the first part of this verse
and see where it says God presides. I
believe this tells us that God judges the judges. They are accountable to Him for their
decisions. The fairness of a legal
system tells us much about the health of a society. The second part of verse 1 tells us that God
also renders judgment among the ‘gods’.
In this Psalm, ‘gods’ is a reference to the leaders of the time. We can see that from verse 6 but Jesus also
confirms that interpretation when He refers back to verse 6 in John 10:34-36. So we can take from this Psalm that God is
judging the leaders of society for how well they rule and lead and judge. That is why it is so important to pray for
our judges and our other leaders to make good and fair and wise decisions. Of course, we are instructed to do this in
God’s Word (I Timothy 2:2). Think back
and try to remember how long it has been since you have prayed for our
country’s leadership. Take a moment to
do so now.
In verse 2, we see Asaph crying out to God for His seeming
inaction when it comes to those for whom Asaph believes punishment is
overdue. How many times has it seemed to
us that wickedness has gone unpunished? Have
we become impatient with God’s inaction?
And yet, we know that, while God does punish evil, He is patient and
slow to wrath, giving sinners the opportunity first to repent of their evil
ways. Read Jeremiah 18:1-10 and then
consider verse 2 of our Psalm in respect to what you have read. We welcome His patience when we are the ones
in the wrong. How often have you taken
the time to pray for those with whom God may still be dealing that they might
come to repentance rather than be judged by God? Having been forgiven rather than judged as a
result of God’s patience ourselves, we should be more receptive to others
receiving that same consideration from the Father. Think about a situation in your life now in
which you might wonder why God has not acted.
Do you think that His preference may be repentance and that He is
allowing opportunity for this to occur?
Pray for His leading in this.
Pray that the Holy Spirit might lead the offenders to repentance.
In verses 3 and 4, Asaph calls upon God to bring His judgments
where they are deserved. In verse 5, he
claims the ‘gods’ are not up to par. Asaph
claims they are not smart enough to judge so God must do so. Verses 6 and 7 explain whom Asaph is
referring to as the ‘gods’ and verse 8 once again appeals to God to judge the
earth. Pray and ask God to give you
understanding as you reread this Psalm in its entirety for continuity. The theme presented by the Psalmist appears
to be that the leaders and judges of this world are not wise enough to judge
fairly so the Psalmist is calling out to God to judge the nations and their
leaders. Have you ever wished that God
would just remove all unfairness and struggle from the world? Wondering why God has not yet judged evil has
been a recurring question throughout time and throughout the Bible (Psalm
58). Think about this for a moment. Does the fact that it is mentioned so many
times in our Bible give you any indication that God is aware we struggle with
this issue?
Responding to God: Pray and ask God to show you any sins that
you commit which are hurting others and thank Him that He has given you time to
repent. Ask Him for the strength to be
sensitive to His leading in this area and to help you not to be overly
judgmental of others. Pray that God will
give you wisdom in dealing with others whose wickedness He is still addressing
and where He is allowing time for repentance.
Ask God to reveal any times that you may have judged others unfairly and
ask Him for wisdom to lead and judge fairly in the future. Record any insights He has revealed to you
during this study today in your journal or any changes He may have made to your
way of looking at this issue.
Further Research: Using a concordance or online Bible, search
for other instances where the Bible addresses man’s struggle with this topic.
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